A true sign of spring, I don’t know about you but I am ready!One of my favorite vegetable is mushrooms. I like them added to almost anything. My mother used to make a white sauce and add mushrooms and peas. She would put that in a casserole, sprinkle buttered cracker crumbs and bake it in the oven for a few minutes. It was always my favorite side dish, but these days I eliminate the white sauce, I found another recipe for mushrooms and peas I am sharing with you today. My favorite brand of peas are the GRAND brand frozen tender tiny peas, almost like from the garden.Buttery Peas and Mushrooms:2 Tablespoons butter1 ( 8 oz. ) package sliced fresh mushrooms1 small white onion, sliced1 bag frozen sweet peas, thawed1 cup chicken broth1/2 tsp. salt1/2 tsp. black pepper

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions. Cook until onions are tender. Add broth, peas, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover and remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes, serve with a slotted spoon.Have a great week!

​We had a great time visiting our friends, Joanne and Arv Soma in Tucson, they house sit a relative’s home for 6 weeks in the winter. Joanne’s fx pelvis is healing, she and Arv had food prepared in advance so all we had to do is set the table, help heat up the food and a little clean up. Arv even made pancakes for us at breakfast. The first two days it was rainy and cool with the temperature 60 degrees but our friendship kept us warm! The last two days were sunny and warm, warm enough to sit in lounge chairs by the pool and even havelunch outdoors. None of us were in wheelchairs this year, altho one of us ( I won’t mention names) had a uncomfortable leg, needing a cane and walker part of the time and I took a tumble the day we left but no trips to ER!!I have always loved meat loaf, a real comfort food in my estimation, I recently tried a new recipe, again from the Paula Deen magazine, it was good enough to make again.

​By the time you read this I will be lounging in Arizona, however rain and cooler temperatures are forecast for the first three days of our visit! I am hoping when we return it will be warmer here with maybe even a hint of spring in the air! It will take awhile for all of this snow to melt, but it will happen.I have been keeping an eye out for casserole recipes that don’t call for cream soups because they contain fat, salt and also gluten which my grand daughter can’t have, it’s a challenge but I have found a couple. I have tried them both and they are worth making again. I had never tried a Jambalaya rice mix, so after I had cooked it, I tasted and found it very spicy, in fact I didn’t care for it at all but after mixing in all of the other ingredients there was only a hint of spice. I found this recipe in the Paula Deen magazine.Chicken and Jambalaya Rice Casserole:2 1/2 cups water1 ( 8 oz. ) box Jambalaya rice dinner mix ( Zatarain’s brand)4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken1 ( 10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese blend, divided1 cup chopped celery1 cup heavy whipping cream1 (10 oz.) bag frozen vegetable seasoning blendGarnish: green onion, optionalIn large saucepan, bring the 2 1/2 cups water and rice mix to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until water absorbed.Spoon cooked rice into a large bowl, add chicken, tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, celery, and cream, mix to combine.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Add vegetable blend to saucepan; cook over medium heat until water has evaporated, about 5 minutes, stir into rice mixture. Spread mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake until hot and bubbly about 25-30 minutes. Garnish with green onion if desired.Have a great week!

Once again my 5 friends and I are taking a little 5 day respite from this frozen tundra! We are off to Tucson Arizona to hopefully sunshine and warm temperatures! If you remember last year we had some health issues,, I guess it’s a sign of old age because its starting out with issues this year too. Two weeks ago our hostess Joanne Soma fell on the icy drive way helping her husband clear snow, she fracture her pelvis, such a painful injury, but a little fracture pelvis doesn’t stop Joanne. She was in the hospital for two days then home for a few days and then onto a road trip to Tucson and is waiting for the rest of us to arrive. I have been having back problems so last week I had my back injected, I’m just hoping it lasts until I come home from the trip. We won’t be doing a lot of sight seeing, but we always enjoy each other’s company. This year the rest of us can do the cooking and wait on Joanne!I love the flavor of today’s recipe for herbed pork roast. Leftovers are especially good used in pork fried rice.Herbed Pork Roast:1 cup soy sauce2 Tbp. lemon juice2 garlic cloves, minced2 tsp. dried tarragon2 tsp. dried basil1 tsp. dried chives1 tsp. ground sage1 tsp. pepper1 Boneless Pork roastCombine the 1st 8 ingredients in a plastic bag, add roast, marinate overnight in refrigerator. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 hours in marinade, or put in crock pot for 5-6 hours.Stay safe and warm and have a good week!

Author

I'm Kathy Lloyd. I grew up on a farm near Elmore, MN and have lived in Fairmont for over 44 years. I have always loved to cook, even when I was very young. I loved to stay with my Aunt Dorothy during my childhood. She was a great cook and used to give me freedom in the kitchen, teaching me along the way. She made recipes from our Norwegian heritage, along with pies, homemade doughnuts, yeast bread and cinnamon rolls.

Marrying a husband with a hearty appetite and raising 3 sons and 1 daughter gave me plenty of hungry appetites to satisfy! I worked as a nurse for 42 years and have been retired for 11 years. Even though I loved my work, I love having time to spend with my grandchildren, to experiment with new recipes and work with my flowers in the summer. Life has been very good to me, blessing me with my loving family and great friends!

I enjoy sharing my love of cooking and recipes with the readers of the Photo Press! (I have had my share of cooking failures over the years!)